Here’s the first page-ish (rough draft) of Revelations:
Level 1: Ascension
The train rolled on, making its way to some unknown destination as Sam, Alzbeta and I were surrounded in darkness and silence, except for the noises of the Locomotor. As the echoes of the explosions died down in our ears, another, altogether different sound, starting permeating the darkness. A terrible sound full of screeching and hissing I assumed was the machine, like the one we saw that scraped and sprayed the train clean as it went through the Trainway tunnel.
The compartment that we had climbed into was pitch black until a rustling sound came from where Alzbeta was and ended with a soft green glow from a small lamp she had stowed in her pack. Slowly, the light became brighter and more intense until we were completely awash in its glow and could easily make out each other and the surroundings.
“At least we don’t have to sit in utter darkness for the ride,” Alzbeta said and smiled weakly.
“But are we going the right way?” I asked, panic evident in my voice.
I thought it might be possible that we were going to get lost, or caught, or worse.
“What is the right way?” Sam asked in his typically gruff way.
Before I could answer, he continued.
“We’re going up, so that’s good,” he said and pointed to the level of aqueous Product in Alzbeta’s lamp.
Looking closer I saw that the level of it was tilted toward the back of the train as one would expect it to do on an incline.
“I hope Jacob and the others are OK,” I said.
“I’m sure they are,” Sam responded.
“But… those explosions?”
Sam and Alzbeta assured me that it was all part of their plan. The final blasts had probably been to seal the tunnel behind the Locomotor so that there could be no pursuit. That, they reasoned, would give us a head start on anyone who was chasing after us.
Silence again fell over us, each wrapped in thoughts as the train methodically pushed forward with its rhythmic click-clack, click-clack.